SPICY MAPLE CARAMELIZED BABY CARROTS

What happens to roasted vegetables that are coated with maple syrup? Something transformative. Roasting vegetables already caramelizes their natural sugars but adding maple syrup takes the caramelizing to a whole other level. As always, I encourage contrast, which is why spices like black pepper and chili flakes make an appearance in this recipe.

Spicy, maple caramelized baby carrots

10 baby carrots, roughly the size of your index finger
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
15 cracks of fresh black pepper
½ tablespoon of chili flakes
½ tablespoon of salt

Step 1: Assembly

Place the carrots on a sheet pan. Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, black pepper, chili flakes, and salt, and toss them together until the baby carrots are well coated.

Step 2: Roasting

Place the carrots in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or under tender. While the carrots roast, the maple syrup will start bubbling, and that’s when you know the carrots are caramelizing. For the last 5 minutes, switch the heat to your oven’s broiler setting which will give the carrots that extra texture. Serve hot or at room temperature with an additional pinch of flaky salt and a few cracks of black pepper.